5 Reasons Why Trust is the Key to Successful Influencer Campaigns

As today’s digitally driven world becomes more technologically advanced, traditional marketing strategies are changing.

Instead of aiming corporate advertisements at a general audience, companies are increasingly focusing on influencers.

These are people who regularly post videos and blogs and who have sizable and loyal followings.

Often, they have experience and expertise in specific areas such as fitness, art, or cosmetics.

Influencer content alters buying trends. Clickz.com conducted a survey of 1,200 people ages 18 to 24 that interact with influencers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

The results found that 22 percent of this survey group saw an online influencer endorse an item and made a large purchase based upon that endorsement.

Trust is vital to effective influencer campaigns. Here are five reasons why.

1. Credibility is a Commodity

With so much information available now, the perception of reliability is more important than ever.

Credible sources are vital. Smart companies study influencers and choose those who will work with them smoothly so that people feel safe trusting them.

This results in a purchase of a product or service. In this new marketing chain, corporations view influencers as the primary target audience.

According to data posted on statista.com, 79 percent of Americans are social media users. Statistics published on clickz.com show that today’s consumers trust influencers more than they do corporations.

Therefore, it makes sense for companies to tap into this changing pattern and court influencers rather than consumers who are increasingly disillusioned with corporate messages.

2. Almost Half of the Millennials Value Dependability More Than Content

Based on a survey of 1,300 millennials by Forbes, about 43 percent of them think authenticity in an informational or corporate web site is more important than the information it publishes.

Such an outlook also extends to influencers chosen by corporations. This generations’ collective customer experience means if they do not trust a particular source, they will not read content from that source.

3. Consumer Choice

With the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram as well as various blogging sites, social media marketing has become wildly popular.

Before the advent of the internet and cable television, advertisers had three main television channels to reach consumers.

Today’s public has a much wider choice of information and entertainment sources, and they also have access to ad blockers.

Therefore, corporate marketers must establish an environment of trust with consumers to avoid having their messages erased.

This is why many companies today feel an influencer marketing program is a more effective way to get their message out to audiences who may have an interest since they already follow and trust particular influencers.

4. Effective Influencers Build Tight-Knit Communities

Companies should not make the mistake of choosing influencers with the largest followings. Research from the State of influencer Marketing Benchmark 2019 report states corporations have learned the importance of quality over quantity.

The loyalty and trust of an influencer’s audience are more valuable for business marketing needs than a large audience.

Marketers need promotions from sources consumers feel are authentic. Influencers with smaller audiences may be able to foster closer relationships than those with huge, more generalized followings.

These more intimate connections can lead to more trust, which in turn can ultimately lead to more sales of products or services.

5. Money Does Not Always Buy Happiness—or Success

Forming a brand relationship with an influencer and only paying them to endorse it may backfire.

Internet users are growing savvy, and they will be able to tell if an influencer they follow is merely promoting something for money, rather than honestly believing in its value.

Some influencers are interested in creating their own products and services. Examples of this are cookbooks.

Bloggers who began with a personal mission of eating a vegan diet, for example, may grow their blog to the point they can publish a book.

Along with this opportunity, they can be effective promoters of foods and kitchen appliances. If a company’s product or service segues into the blogger’s own passions and goals, then a relationship of trust can be developed.

When this happens, followers are more likely to be open to purchasing.

Consumer trust is not easy to earn. Today’s companies are recognizing the value of partnering with internet influencers who represent the values they want to communicate to the public.

Trust is a vital component of sales, and influencer marketing cannot be effective without it.